20 hit songs that major artists passed on

In the 2000s, nearly every pop song was written for Britney Spears. “Telephone” was offered to Spears first, but she decided against it, so Lady Gaga, who wrote it, kept it for herself and sang it as a duet with Beyoncé. Spears’ version does exist somewhere on the internet, though. 

In the ‘90s, however, tracks weren’t originally written for Britney Spears. She had yet to prove herself. “…Baby One More Time” was first offered to TLC, who rejected it because it didn’t quite fit the group’s vibe. The song was then offered to Robyn before landing with Spears. 

All the fan theories about which of Justin Bieber’s exes “Love Yourself” was written about are incorrect because Bieber didn’t even write the song. Ed Sheeran wrote it and considered putting it on his album Divide, but it didn’t fit, so he gave it to Bieber. 

It should come as no surprise that Jennifer Lopez recorded a song that was first offered to someone else. It’s likely happened several times. But what is surprising is that “Let’s Get Loud” was originally intended for Gloria Estefan. Estefan co-wrote the track but thought it was too close sonically to her other hits. 

See? This has happened to Jennifer Lopez multiple times. Her hit “Get Right” was initially recorded by Usher. To Lopez’s credit, she tweaked the song a bit, and she had the sense to record it, knowing it would be a hit. 

Pop music fans know “Umbrella” as one of the best songs of 2007 and a hit that helped Rihanna become the star she is today. But the track was originally offered to Britney Spears. She passed on “Umbrella” as she already had enough to work with for her album. 

Rihanna knows how to pick hits. She was massive in the mid-2000s thanks to hits like “S.O.S.,” written for Christina Milian. Milian didn’t want the song, so Rihanna took it. She took it straight to the top of the charts, where she stayed for a few weeks. 

The 2000s were essentially just a decade where Rihanna proved that she should be offered songs first. “Disturbia” was originally written for Chris Brown, but he gave it to Rihanna instead. In Brown’s defense, he passed on “Disturbia” in favor of “Forever,” which was also a huge hit. 

Beyoncé reminded everyone in the 2000s that she is the prize with her hit “Irreplaceable,” but there’s a world in which she didn’t record the song. Ne–Yo wrote it and considered publishing it himself, but he gave it away, and the rest is history. 

Sia wrote the song “Pretty Hurts” and offered it to Katy Perry. After the offer, the pop star didn’t say a word, so the Aussie sent it to Rihanna and Beyoncé. The song’s fate was left to payment, which was ultimately given by Beyoncé’s camp. 

Beyoncé passes on songs, too. “All About That Bass” was sent to her and Adele before Meghan Trainor decided to record the song, which she had written herself. The track is still Trainor’s most successful song. 

“Happy” was everywhere in 2014 as the theme song to Despicable Me. Pharrell Williams recorded the song, but it was originally supposed to go to CeeLo Green. After the Oscar nomination, Green might’ve regretted not taking the chance to sing the song. 

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Kelly Clarkson (or the cast of Pitch Perfect ) singing “Since U Been Gone,” but Pink and Hilary Duff were both offered the song first. Pink didn’t want it, and the song was out of Duff’s range, so it landed in the capable hands of Clarkson, who turned it into a veritable hit. 

Avril Lavigne wrote “Breakaway” near the height of her career, but she gave it to Kelly Clarkson instead. Clearly, it was meant to be because it helped Clarkson move from American Idol winner to bona fide pop star. 

Justin Timberlake got the scraps of the King of Pop. After Michael Jackson turned down “Rock Your Body,” the song went to Timberlake. Jackson’s leftovers are better than most artists’ main course. 

Justin Timberlake has gotten lucky with passed songs more than once. “Bye Bye Bye” was first offered to the British band Five. The group didn’t like it, so it went to Timberlake and Company, aka NSYNC. It became one of the iconic boy band’s most iconic hits. 

Kanye West originally passed on his own song. Before Ye became famous as a recording artist, he was writing and producing for others. He wrote “Gold Digger” for a female artist, and it was offered to the rapper Shawnna. She didn’t want it, so Ye reworked the track to work for himself and made it into a No. 1 hit. 

This sort of thing happens in EDM quite often. DJs, such as The Chainsmokers, will produce something and have multiple artists record vocals before deciding which one to use. In the case of “Closer,” Camila Cabello was their first option, but she turned it down since she was still part of Fifth Harmony. The Chainsmokers tapped Halsey instead. 

The Pūssycat Dolls didn’t have many hits, but “Don’t Cha” was undoubtedly one of them. The song was offered to Paris Hilton, but she heard a preliminary version and rejected it. No offense to Hilton, but the song probably wouldn’t have been as successful if she’d recorded it. 

Before Charli XCX was recording songs on her own, she was writing for other people. Charli offered her track “Boom Clap” to Hilary Duff, but her team rejected it, and the Brit sang it instead. The song became a major hit and is partially responsible for Charli’s success as a recording artist.